Life intruded today and I didn't get any writing time in. Okay, if I'm honest, a little laziness intruded too. So I've been wondering: Does daydreaming count? I've spent a lot of time thinking of Madison and crafting the changes that I need to make over and over again in my head. Sort of like how a baker makes pie crust, all the kneading (but not too much) and then rolling it out, spreading it thin across the surface of the mind (if we're still in metaphor) and seeing what you've got. I guess it doesn't technically count, because I could have daydreamed and gotten some actual work done, but one of the two is better than none, right?
Now I want some pie. Have you ever had Claim Jumper's Chocolate Silk Pie? It doesn't get much better. (Even if you can't wait for it to thaw, it's still really good.)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
New Beginnings
I was reading through the first chapter of Madison and realized that the first five pages felt more like good character development than story. It also helped to have this gently pointed out to me recently. So I spent today rereading the chapter and seeing what I wanted to keep and what needed to be cut--and (big sigh here) what needed to be improved. I remind myself that this is good; this is making the story stronger, better. This also means another careful look at the entire manuscript again. I refuse to dwell.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Character Bubbles
I've been reading lots of advice for how to market my book (as you know), and of course the first advice that everyone gives is "write a book." Often it's followed by the advice of "write another book." And I want to. I'm ready to. I'm ready to get to work on the next Madison book (again, as you know because I think I mention it every other day). What I hadn't consciously realized until today was that my subconscious has been working on a completely different book.
Over the last several days, in the back of my mind as I'm reading, driving, talking, watching TV, researching, (okay, you get the point) little snippets of characters have bubbled to the semi-surface of my mind. Characters that are dark, almost evil. Hardened. No-nonsense kind of characters. The kind of characters that would chew Madison Fox up and spit her back out without a second thought. Characters that would never be encountered in an Adventures of Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer novel. Characters that demand their own stories. It was only today that I realized that I was having these musings. I was reading along in a great book that I highly recommend (Sunshine by Robin McKinley), and this character came out of nowhere, and while I'm still reading, my subconscious dissected it and dismissed it as not quite finalized, not quite ready for, well, birth. It was bizarre watching this happen in my own head. I mean, who else is in here with me? Apparently someone dark, rather cynical, and a little bit of a perfectionist.
I think that I was aware on some level (obviously) that these character bubbles were happening, because I've had a really hard time falling asleep these last several nights. Something inane will catch my fancy, and then I can't rest until I've built a story around it. For instance, last night I thought how weird it'd be if everyone was dead but my character--especially how weird the silence would be. (For those of you who don't know me and don't know about what I call my Stand fantasies, this is a fairly common thread of thought that can occupy me for hours on a car ride and which Cody has been subject to more times than I'm sure he would like. In my Stand fantasies, started because I watched most of the made-for-TV rendition of Stephen King's book The Stand nearly 14 years ago, 10% of the population, including me, survives a terrible disease/disaster and then we're left to fend for ourselves in this grossly underpopulated world. In every scenario I've contemplated, it's the real me, and I spend my time picturing the animals I'd rescue from homes--and when I would stop rescuing them because they'd probably all be dead--where I would go, what crops I would grow, what libraries I would raid, what staples I would hoard--which is where I try to figure out what I consider a staple to be, as in, do Hershey's dark chocolate bars count?--and what skills I would try to teach myself to regain the standard of living that would henceforth have been denied to me by the death of everyone out there who knows how electricity works and how to build a house, etc. Like I said, this can go on for hours and is a discussion for another day.) Well, the other night, I thought about it only this time with a character in my place. It made it a whole different daydream. I pictured this character running down the middle of the deserted boulevard near my house, with only the sounds of the crickets and owls and the soft tread of her boots on the pavement--and the crunch of predators in the bushes. There'd be no car noises, no hum of electricity, no horns, no crazy neighbors having too-loud sex at inconvenient times at night. Just my character. All alone. In the silence.
As you can tell, there were some noises bothering me, too, but the story that was building caught my fancy. I tried to cast Madison into that role of the woman running down the street, and she didn't fit. It was a scene for a different person entirely. Someone hardened in a way Madison will never be.
You see, it's clues like that that should have told me another story was brewing. It's been so long since I've thought of anything other than Madison or Areia, it took me a while to realize what was happen. Now that I know, I'm eager to find out what this next story will be.
Over the last several days, in the back of my mind as I'm reading, driving, talking, watching TV, researching, (okay, you get the point) little snippets of characters have bubbled to the semi-surface of my mind. Characters that are dark, almost evil. Hardened. No-nonsense kind of characters. The kind of characters that would chew Madison Fox up and spit her back out without a second thought. Characters that would never be encountered in an Adventures of Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer novel. Characters that demand their own stories. It was only today that I realized that I was having these musings. I was reading along in a great book that I highly recommend (Sunshine by Robin McKinley), and this character came out of nowhere, and while I'm still reading, my subconscious dissected it and dismissed it as not quite finalized, not quite ready for, well, birth. It was bizarre watching this happen in my own head. I mean, who else is in here with me? Apparently someone dark, rather cynical, and a little bit of a perfectionist.
I think that I was aware on some level (obviously) that these character bubbles were happening, because I've had a really hard time falling asleep these last several nights. Something inane will catch my fancy, and then I can't rest until I've built a story around it. For instance, last night I thought how weird it'd be if everyone was dead but my character--especially how weird the silence would be. (For those of you who don't know me and don't know about what I call my Stand fantasies, this is a fairly common thread of thought that can occupy me for hours on a car ride and which Cody has been subject to more times than I'm sure he would like. In my Stand fantasies, started because I watched most of the made-for-TV rendition of Stephen King's book The Stand nearly 14 years ago, 10% of the population, including me, survives a terrible disease/disaster and then we're left to fend for ourselves in this grossly underpopulated world. In every scenario I've contemplated, it's the real me, and I spend my time picturing the animals I'd rescue from homes--and when I would stop rescuing them because they'd probably all be dead--where I would go, what crops I would grow, what libraries I would raid, what staples I would hoard--which is where I try to figure out what I consider a staple to be, as in, do Hershey's dark chocolate bars count?--and what skills I would try to teach myself to regain the standard of living that would henceforth have been denied to me by the death of everyone out there who knows how electricity works and how to build a house, etc. Like I said, this can go on for hours and is a discussion for another day.) Well, the other night, I thought about it only this time with a character in my place. It made it a whole different daydream. I pictured this character running down the middle of the deserted boulevard near my house, with only the sounds of the crickets and owls and the soft tread of her boots on the pavement--and the crunch of predators in the bushes. There'd be no car noises, no hum of electricity, no horns, no crazy neighbors having too-loud sex at inconvenient times at night. Just my character. All alone. In the silence.
As you can tell, there were some noises bothering me, too, but the story that was building caught my fancy. I tried to cast Madison into that role of the woman running down the street, and she didn't fit. It was a scene for a different person entirely. Someone hardened in a way Madison will never be.
You see, it's clues like that that should have told me another story was brewing. It's been so long since I've thought of anything other than Madison or Areia, it took me a while to realize what was happen. Now that I know, I'm eager to find out what this next story will be.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Cloudy Contemplations
Today is one of those perfect contemplative days where the sun can't seem to decide if it wants to shine through the cloud cover or just let the day drift by in soothing shadows. I woke thinking that it was very early in the morning (which it definitely was not, but the lighting fooled me), and decided that while Cody slept, I would use the day's energy to start the day with a creative exercise.
Thus, I've just spent the last hour jotting down ideas for tag lines for Madison. Tag lines--also called the high concept of a story, a teaser, or a fast pitch--are like the story blurbs that you see on the back of books (only tag lines typically have to be only two sentences) that define your whole story in a gripping way. I've just written 12 (!!) and I'm not sure I completely like any of them. I chose to do it like a freewrite, where I just wrote what came to me and didn't go back and edit them. That'll be later. And once I've picked the top five or so that I like, I'll post them here and you can all vote to let me know which you think is the best. Meanwhile, I'll be massaging my cramped fingers back into a normal, non-clawlike shape.
Speaking of voting, if you have a moment, please cast your vote in the poll at the top of this blog. (Or are you all tired out by the idea of another thing you need to vote on right now?)
Thus, I've just spent the last hour jotting down ideas for tag lines for Madison. Tag lines--also called the high concept of a story, a teaser, or a fast pitch--are like the story blurbs that you see on the back of books (only tag lines typically have to be only two sentences) that define your whole story in a gripping way. I've just written 12 (!!) and I'm not sure I completely like any of them. I chose to do it like a freewrite, where I just wrote what came to me and didn't go back and edit them. That'll be later. And once I've picked the top five or so that I like, I'll post them here and you can all vote to let me know which you think is the best. Meanwhile, I'll be massaging my cramped fingers back into a normal, non-clawlike shape.
Speaking of voting, if you have a moment, please cast your vote in the poll at the top of this blog. (Or are you all tired out by the idea of another thing you need to vote on right now?)
Friday, October 17, 2008
Blurry Research
I've spent another morning doing odds and ends (too many really) and the last hour researching quality queries and synopses. My eyes are a bit blurry and I'm really wanting to continue, but paying work beckons. I did find a new blog (thanks to some friendly advice yesterday), this one by Kristin Nelson, who is an agent blogging about all kinds of helpful agenty/publishing things.
Isn't the poll at the top of the blog obnoxiously big? I looked for ways to change its appearance, but I didn't find any. If you know of any tips, let me know. I'd really like for it to not look so porno.
Since this is a short one, I'll leave you with a quote:
Be the leader you're waiting for.
I heard that yesterday, and I'm still not sure what to make of it. It sounds like good advice for a main character.
Isn't the poll at the top of the blog obnoxiously big? I looked for ways to change its appearance, but I didn't find any. If you know of any tips, let me know. I'd really like for it to not look so porno.
Since this is a short one, I'll leave you with a quote:
Be the leader you're waiting for.
I heard that yesterday, and I'm still not sure what to make of it. It sounds like good advice for a main character.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
One Query Down
One hour = one rough draft query letter. Not bad. There are, of course, a billion and one ways to write a query letter and from what I've learned it boils down to one thing: being psychic. The examples of queries that have sold books vary as much as the people who buy the books. It's all about the individual person's taste, what's selling on the market, and luck (and, of course, a good story, but I think I've got that nailed). So my current strategy is to write several query letters and pick from the best. I have two so far. One focuses on a more lengthy book description, like a mini synopsis, the other gives a more general overview. To show you a bit of what I mean, here are the two different opening paragraphs for my query letters:
Query 1
Humor, fantasy, and a dash of romance make Basic Trouble a delightful urban fantasy. The quest of the often clumsy and always optimistic and resilient Madison Fox defines the two themes of this book: finding meaning in life and a place to belong. Madison finds both only when she embraces who she was always meant to be: an illuminant enforcer, using her unique ability to fight evil.
Query 2
Beneath commonplace suburbia lurks evil creatures who feed off the good life force of average, oblivious people. Only a small group of people can prevent evil domination of the world, one small region at a time. Madison Fox is one of those people, though she doesn't know it yet…and there's hardly time to train her before the evil hordes overwhelm her region.
In the second one, I don't mention the title (Conventional Demon) until the second paragraph. As you can see, I'm also still trying to decide on a title. Luckily, I have several people who are helping me think up ideas and narrow them down. You can also see that these are still in rough draft format.
Take the poll and tell me what you think of the opening paragraphs. I appreciate the feedback!
Query 1
Humor, fantasy, and a dash of romance make Basic Trouble a delightful urban fantasy. The quest of the often clumsy and always optimistic and resilient Madison Fox defines the two themes of this book: finding meaning in life and a place to belong. Madison finds both only when she embraces who she was always meant to be: an illuminant enforcer, using her unique ability to fight evil.
Query 2
Beneath commonplace suburbia lurks evil creatures who feed off the good life force of average, oblivious people. Only a small group of people can prevent evil domination of the world, one small region at a time. Madison Fox is one of those people, though she doesn't know it yet…and there's hardly time to train her before the evil hordes overwhelm her region.
In the second one, I don't mention the title (Conventional Demon) until the second paragraph. As you can see, I'm also still trying to decide on a title. Luckily, I have several people who are helping me think up ideas and narrow them down. You can also see that these are still in rough draft format.
Take the poll and tell me what you think of the opening paragraphs. I appreciate the feedback!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Sex Sells
Yesterday's post made me think about a blog I'd seen in my quest to drive traffic to my site. I did a Google search for how to increase traffic to a blog. One or the results was a blog that said that all you had to do to increase the number of hits to a blog was to put the word "sex" in the blog's title. It was a long post, which managed to say the word sex a great number of times but to offer no other advice. It seemed like a very narrow way to go about it. First of all, putting sex in the title of the blog doesn't always work for the subject of a blog. Say, for instance, you're doing a blog about saving the environment. How do you work it in there? Or about a knitting? Or--let's go out on a limb here--writing?
Perhaps if my characters were having sex (they're not currently), I could mention that. Or if I was writing a sex scene, I could talk about that (I'm not currently). Further on down the line, after my characters are having sex (which they will be), and after a few novels have been published and you've all read about said sex and said sex partners, I could give sexual hints about naughty scenes to come. But right now, that sort of advice was absolutely pointless.
(Or was it? I've used sex 10 times in this post (and title), 11 if you count "sexual"--wait, now that's 12. I'll let you know if I have a sudden rush of new traffic. LOL)
Perhaps if my characters were having sex (they're not currently), I could mention that. Or if I was writing a sex scene, I could talk about that (I'm not currently). Further on down the line, after my characters are having sex (which they will be), and after a few novels have been published and you've all read about said sex and said sex partners, I could give sexual hints about naughty scenes to come. But right now, that sort of advice was absolutely pointless.
(Or was it? I've used sex 10 times in this post (and title), 11 if you count "sexual"--wait, now that's 12. I'll let you know if I have a sudden rush of new traffic. LOL)
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